Bill would end subminimum wages in WA for people with disabilities

HB 1706. Sponsored by Representatives Frame, Sells, Macri, Doglio, Gregerson, Riccelli, Callan, Jinkins, Goodman, Valdez, Bergquist, Kloba, Pollet

• You can read the bill and supporting documents here
• You can comment on the bill here
• You can download this information as a PDF 

Last spring, a handful of advocates met to discuss subminimum wages in the state of Washington. That meeting led to a months-long effort to see who else was concerned, and an October 11, 2018, work session in the House Committee on Labor and Workplace Standards. Now there is a bill that would end subminimum wages for people with disabilities in Washington State. The number of organizations in support of this effort has reached 80. Here is information created to explain the effort to state legislators.

SUBMINIMUM WAGES DON’T PAY. As public policy, subminimum wages cost tax payers more and marginalize people with disabilities. The laws allowing them date to the 1930s and led to sheltered workshops where people with disabilities were not only segregated, they were paid pennies on the dollar, often at taxpayer expense. In today’s Washington – where sheltered workshops have been mostly phased out – subminimum wages subject people with disabilities to discrimination in the workplace and undercut their earning potential.

WHICH IS BETTER? 87% SUCCESS, OR 1%? Research and real-world experience both tell us that with the right job match and tailored supports, even people with the most significant support needs can work successfully in competitive, integrated employment at minimum wage or higher. “Competitive and integrated” just means a normal job in a normal workplace, alongside co-workers who do not have disabilities.

In Washington, we lead the nation with an 87 percent employment rate of people with developmental disabilities who receive employment services. We do this by helping people find the right job and follow up with training specific to that job. In states that rely on subminimum wages to spur employment, as few as 1 percent of people with developmental disabilities who are receiving employment supports are competitively employed in integrated settings.

Employment and provider bills we are tracking in 2018

Now until February 14 is a critical time to act

A bill is a draft of a proposed law. These bills have cleared the initial policy committee hurdles; some still need to clear fiscal committees. Once these hurdles are met, a Rules Committee will decide when and whether to present them to the full chamber for a vote.

If you see a bill you care about, please contact your legislators. You can click on the “Comment on” links here, or call the Legislative Hotline at 1.800.562.6000.

For TTY-ASSISTANCE: 1.800.833.6384 (voice) or 1.800.833.6388 (TTY).

See also: Where we are in the process, What you should be doing, and definitions you might find helpful

EMPLOYMENT SUPPORT

HB 2787 - Concerning creation of the select committee on supported employment services for individuals with developmental disabilities
SPONSORS: Caldier, Kilduff, Dent, Senn, Frame, Doglio, McDonald, Pollet, Santos

The committee must produce a report that includes suggested policy, administrative code, or statute changes that would allow for better outcomes for recipients of supported employment or community access services.

STATUS: Did NOT pass the House 

• Comment on HB 2787